Cotton-compress.



PATENTED mm 16, 1903.

R. D. GROW. COTTON GOMPRESS. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 28, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

10 MODEL.

No. 730,881. PATENTBD JUNE 16, 1903.

R. D. GROW. COTTON GOMPRESS.

APPLICATION nun AUG. 28, 1902. no MODEL. A a snnn'rs-sizm 2.

. V lN VENTOR B\Y w, 6?. MW

ATTORNEY No. 730,881 PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903. R. D. GROW.

GOTTON GOMPRESS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 190-, no MODEL. 3'8-HEBTS-'SHEET a.

WITNESSES: INVENTOH ATTORNEY means for regulating the exhaust.

Lxlo. 730,881.

UNITED STATES Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT OFFIcE.

'COTTON-COMPRESS.

.T lECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 730,881, dated June 16, 1903.

' Application filed August 28, 1902. $erialNo.121,309. (N0 model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LRQBERT DOUGLAS CROW, of Henderson, Rusk county, Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gotton-Oompresses, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of cotton-compresses which I use for condensing plantation-bales, so as to reduce their bull: and density.

For many reasons, chiefly for the saving in freight and for convenience in handling, it is desirable to condense plantation-bales, so called, of cotton, and it is now quite a common practice; but these high-pressu re compressors as a rule work rather slowly; and the object of my invention is to produce a compress which will make a condensed bale of the regulation shape and which can be operated faster than the common form of compress.

Other objects of my invention are to make a compress which is very powerful, which is perfectly simple, which can be easily operated, which is little likely to need repairs, and in which the parts are easily accessible.

To these ends my invention consists of certainfeatures of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved compress. the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional elevation showing a slightly-modified form of side door and operating means therefor. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the exhaust parts of the main cylinder and a Fig. 5 is a. detail perspective View of the ported flange of the exhaust. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the form of joint used in the steam connections of the main cylinder. Fig. 7 is a cross-section on the line 77of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the packing-ring used in the steam-joint, and Fig. 9 is a broken perspective view of a means for counterbalancing side gates or doors.

The compress has a suitable frame 10 and can be in any approved form; but it is shown Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on' a height to enable the workmen to operate conveniently when the platen 14 has risen and compressed the bale, it being understood that the ties are applied exactly as usual in such cases.

In making these condensed bales it is desirable t0 first narrow the bale, which changes its shape without condensing it, and then bring the pressure to bear on it vertically, so as to condense it to the necessary extent. To this end I use inwardly-swinging side gates or plates 17, which are for convenience fulcrumed at the top, the plates 17 forming integral parts of the outwardly-extending levers 18, so that the Whole lever is in the form of a bellcrank, and it is stiffened by the strengthening-ribs 19. Each lever or plate 17 18 is fulcrumed on across-rod 20, which is carried in a sliding head 21, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) which head moves up and down in .a recess in part 11 of the frame, and each head 21 is carried by the piston-rod 22 of one of the cylinders 23, which cylinders are the ordinary steam-cylinders and have pistons operated by steam or other pressure fluid, the cylinders having inlets and exhaust at each end. I have not shown in detail the construction of the cylinders and their feed and exhaust pipes, for the reason that this structure is common and is not claimed by me,.

while, on the other hand, I do not limit myself to the use of any particular type of cylinder. Each cylinder 23 has suitable inlet and exhaust pipes 24 and 25,controlled by the valves 26, and the valves are operated by the lever 27, (see Fig. 1,) which is fulcrumed, as at 28, and connects by the rod 29 with a handle-lever 30, the latter being fulcru med on the frame 10 within easy reach of one of the working platforms 16. The outer end of each lever 18 connects with a piston-rod 31, whichis worked by a piston in the cylinder 32, and the piston-rod is encircled by a spring 33, which acts as a cushion to prevent shock when the pressure fluid is exhausted. The cylinder 32 has feed and exhaust pipes 35, substantially like those of the cylinders 23, and the valves .are controlled by a tilting lever 35, which is fulcrume as shown at 36, and has operating-rods 37.

I wish it clearly understood that I have simply generally illustrated common forms of cylinders 23 and 32 and that other types can be substituted. The cylinders 32 are pivotally supported at the top, as-shown at 34, as they must of necessity oscillate in operating the levers 18. The cylinders 32 are used for forcing down the outer ends of the levers 18, and so swinging in the pressure-plates 17, and while the pressure fluid in the cylinders would doubtless hold the plates in a compressed position, still, if desired, latches 38 may be used, these being arranged at the free edges of the plates 17 (see Fig. 2) so as to engage catches 39, which are secured to certain rigid parts of the foundation. The catches and latches 39 and 38 hold the plates in place until the bales are vertically condensed.

In practice I prefer to counterbalance the side gates 17, so that they will be normally held up without having to maintain pressure in the cylinders 32. Many ways can be devised for counterbalancing the gates, and in Fig. 9 I have shown a simple method. Here the outer end of the lever 18 is connected by a rod 74 with a tilting arm 75, which is fulcrumed on a shaft 76, and the latter supported in a bracket 77, which can be located at any convenient place on the frame, and obviously the shaft 76 can be arranged to support the arm 75 for both gates. The short end of the arm 75 carries a weight 78, which balances the lever-gates 17 18, and so the gates will normally swing out to receive a bale.

To remove the pressure from the pistonrods 22, which carry down the heads 21 and the fulcrums of the plates 18, the rods 20 are provided with pinions 40, which engage with fixed racks 41 on the part 11 of the frame. Instead of this precise steadying means the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 and hereinafter described can be used for steadying the compression-plates and for forcing the same inward.

The platen 14 is secured to a head-block 42 and may, if desired, be integral therewith, though it is preferably detachable, and the head 42 is split on the under side, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, to receive the levers 43, which are curved outward and downward and have their inner ends formed into toothed meshing segmental parts 45, the levers being fulcrumed in the head-block 42, as shown at 44, and so when the levers are at their outer ends moveddownward and inward the engaging parts acting on the head42 will move '50, respectively. The cylinder 49 is the main compression-cylinder and is hung so as to swing when the pressure is applied, and it will be noticed that the leverage system just described has a toggle efiect, so that the first movement of the levers 43 is comparatively rapid and not-so powerful; but as the requirement for more power on the bale increases the outer ends of the levers 43 are moved downward, and so at the final moment enormous pressure is brought to bear on the block 42 and platen 14. I

It is necessary to provide a swinging connection with the cylinder 49, and in Figs. 4 to 7 I have shown a preferred means of making such a connection. The pipe 51, which supplies steam or other pressure fluid to the cylinder 49, connects with the double-ended casing 52, provided at its ends with stuliingboxes 53 and with an internal flange or diaphragm 54, each flange having a notch 55 therein, (see Fig. 7,) and the pipe 56, which is used in making the joint, has near its ends bosses 57, which can .be passed through the notches 55, and then by turning the pipe the bosses are brought out of-registry with the notches, thus forming a look, like the wellknown bayonet-joint. Thepipe 56 is threaded at its outer ends and in the center is provided with ports 56 for the passage of the pressure fluid. The packing-ring. 58, which is used in the stuffing-boxes 53, is provided with an opening 59 to permit the passage of the bosses '57, and after the pipe 56 is in place the opening 59 can be closed by the plug 60, which has endtongues 61 fitting in corresponding'notches in the ends of the split ring 58. The ends of the pipe 56 connect by the ordinary elbow-couplings 62 with pipes 63, which thus form a yoke or stirrup, and they connect at their lower ends through a second joint 64, like that alreadydescribed, with the pipe 65, which supplies the pressure fluid.

It is necessary to provide ,a quick exhaust for the cylinder 49 and yet to check the exhaust at the last moment, so that a cushion will be formed for the piston or the cylinder, as this will be nuclei-pressure from the weight of the parts 42, 43, and 46. To this end the piston 66 (see Fig. 4) carries near its periphery and on its outer side the flange 67, which fits in the cup 68 at the end of the cylinder 49, and the flange 67 is provided with a port 70, registering with the main exhaust-port 69 and of about the same size as the port, while below or near the outer edge of the flange 67 are small perforations 71, the combined area of which is less than the port 69.,

It will thus be seen that as the cylinder 4.9 exhausts the piston 66 will at first be well within the cylinder, so that the exhaust is uninterrupted; but just before the limit of the stroke the perforated flange 67 partially closes the port 69, thereby checking the exhaust, and finally as the end of the stroke is reached the port registers with the port 69, and the exhaust is therefore wide open in order that it may be fully completed.

In Fig. 3 I have shown aslight modification of the means for Working the compression plates or gates 17. As here shown, the cylinders 32 and 23, like the cylinders 32 and 23, already described, are pivoted at their upper ends, as shown at 34 and 72, and the pinions 40 move downward on the outer parts of the racks 4.1 and upward on the inner parts of the said racks. These racks are formed in brackets 73, which are fixed on the part 11 of the main frame, 'or these racks may be madeintegral with the frame. As illustrated in this figure, the lever 18 is also shown at a less acute angle to the plate 17, and so the cylinder 32 is pivoted near the center of the main frame instead of to the outer end of the cross-beam 12. In this form of the device catches 39 are made to form a part of the head-block 42, although they may be rigidly attached, if preferred, and so when the platen 14. moves upward after the gates 17 are closed, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the platen will carry the gates up with it, thus bringing them into position for use and moving the gates independently of their operating-cylinders. By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the combined pressure from the cylin-' ders 23 and 32 will force the gear 40 to the inner portion of the rack 4:1 when the gear has reached the limit of its downstroke, and then on the upstroke of the gear it will naturally follow the inner portion of the rack.

In operation the bale to be condensed is wheeled in from the platforms 16 and placed onthe platen 14, as in Fig. 1. The pressure fluid is turned onto the cylinders 23, so as to force the inner ends of the levers 18 downward to the position shown in the right end of Fig. 2, and the cylinders 32 are then supplied'with the pressure fluid, so as to move down the outer ends of the levers 18, and thus the plates 17 are forced inward and the shape of the bale is changed, making it narrower and higher, after which the pressure is turned into the cylinder 49 and the levers 13 are actuated as described, thereby forcing up the platen 14 and pressing the bale into its condensed shape. It will be seen that all this can be quickly done and that the machinery I use for doing it is of a very simple nature.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A compress of the kind described comprising opposed platens movable back and forth in relation to each other, a pair of com pression-levers hinged on each of the opposite edges of one of the platens, the said le- 7 vers having their inner parts formed into compression-plates to engage a bale between the platens, and mechanism for-actuating the said levers.

2. A compress of thekind described comprising opposed platens movable back and forth in relation to each other, and a pair of swinging pressure-levers hung near each of the opposed edges of one of the platens, the inner ends of each pair of levers being formed into pressure-plates to engage a bale arranged between two platens.

3. A compress comprising opposed platens movable back and forth in relation to each other, a pair of compression-levers hinged opposite the said edges of one platen, the said levers having their inner ends merging in plates to engage a bale arranged between the platens, and locking devices to fasten the free edges of the plates when said plates are swung to their innermost position.

4. The compress comprising opposed platens movable back and forth in relation to each other, a pair of swinging levers arranged opposite each of the side edges of one platen, said levers having their inner ends merging in pressure-plates, swinging at right angles to the back of the platens, and cylinder-andpiston mechanism for moving each end of' both levers.

5. In a compress, the combination with the platens of the swinging levers arranged near opposite edges of one platen and carrying inwardly-swinging pressure-plates, means for raising and lowering both ends of the levers and pinions and racks for steadying the ful crums of the levers.

6. In a compress having opposed platens, the platen-actuating mechanism comprising opposed levers carrying the platen and having their inner ends geared together, a movable piston having one end pivoted to one le- 'ver and its piston-rod pivoted to the opposed for exerting pressure inward upon the gates,

and means for moving the gates in the direction parallel with the direction of the movement of the platens by the advance of one of the platens.

. 9. In a compress having opposed platens, the platen-actuating mechanism, comprising opposed levers having their in'nerends geared together and arranged to carry a platen, and

the main cylinder having an exhaust-port, of the piston head and rod in the cylinder, and the flange carried by a piston-head, the said flange havingperforations to register with the exhaust-port of the cylinder, and a main port to register with the said cylinder exhaust-port. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my handin the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT DOUGLAS CROW.

Witnessesz' FRED TELLER, TOM CROW. 

